Which statement best describes how the author’s purpose differs in chapter i of nature and society and solitude?
a) nature is an essay in praise of nature’s sublimity, while society and solitude is an essay in praise of being alone.
b) nature wishes to convince readers that understanding the natural world is more important than human relationships, while society and solitude is an attempt to warn readers against too much solitude.
c) nature suggests that humans should live in nature, while society and solitude argues in favor of living in the city.
d) nature portrays the world of nature as superior to the social world, while society and solitude argues that nature can individuals be more content within society.

Both of these two books are written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Nature is about Emerson's quest on the solution of the nature's beauty. The author shows that we people do not appreciate these natural beauties enough. In order to understand it, we have to be intertwined with nature. For that, we need to go into seclusion and we have to separate ourselves from society. Nature's need of solitude outweighs society's need in this case.

However, in Society and Solitude Emerson emphasizes the importance of both of the concepts. The author claims that there has to be a balance. Interesting point is that this book is written 34 years after the first one.

According to the summaries of the books we can say that the correct answer is D.

B) Nature wishes to convince readers that understanding the natural world is more important than human relationships, while Society and Solitude is an attempt to warn readers against too much solitude.

Explanation:

Nature is an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson, published in 1836. In this essay, Emerson defends a non-traditional appreciation of nature, which represents one the foundations of transcendentalism. Much more abstract and whimsical than Society and Solitude, the work suggests that the "Divine" suffuses nature, and that reality can be understood by studying it.

Society and Solitude, on the other hand, is a book by the same author. This collection of essays presents the idea that both isolation and company are necessary for the development and progress of people. The essays focus on humanity's good, and it is often considered Emerson's cheeriest work. In the work, he discusses the necessary balance between the need to be social and the need for solitude.